Sam Dugmore resurrects, for one last mission, MAN-BO, the macho-himbo retread from the dysfunctional 80s. MAN-BO remains a man apart. He single-handedly refights old wars, destroys new enemies and tramples on history, all the while, dealing with newfound feelings. Click to view 5 min. MAN-BO
Australian gay activist, Conner, finds himself out of his depth in Moscow as he attempts to uncover the horrors of the Chechen LGBTI purges. His comfortable, western assumptions around gay identity serve him poorly as he ensnares a toughened local operator as a possible conduit to the oppression’s victims.
Scotland! is the masterwork of a trio of young men, rediscovering the essentials of humour. Scotland! is a whimsically absurdist piece of comicality, confected for the sheer delight of their audiences. The troupe energetically drag their skillfully disarmed audiences into the heart of an endearingly absurdist world...
Transcendent chanteuse Mama Alto reclaims the original meaning of Diva. In its modern sense, she feels it's a misogynistic sledge to undermine otherwise capable, talented and independent women. Mama sensitively channels her favourite such women through song and warm repartee.
Rouge is modern circus; inviting audiences to share in fantasies that are palpably sumptuous and aesthetically pleasing. Rouge exudes a liberating sense of truly shameless sexuality, opening up all sorts of lush imaginings, while it remains forever friendly and approachable.
Railed is a comedy-western in the guise of a car-crash, Looney Tunes circus mash-up. The boys of Railed are a happy posse of hopeless cowboys, serving generous dollops of embraceable male bonding; which comes naturally when a highly physicalised band of bandits are left alone in a (very) Wild West.
A donnish Daniel Somerville is the quintessential opera queen, as he embraces the persona of legendary Australian coloratura soprano, Joan Sutherland—the loftiest of lofty opera divas. From the South London bedsit of his youth, Somerville transcends the mundane to ascend into a glorious operatic heaven
Sweet Little Mystery is distinctive vocalist Sarah Jane Morris’ loving tribute to legendary Scottish folk-rock-poet, John Martyn. With essential, raw and resonating vocals, accompanied by consummate guitarist Tony Rémy, Morris locates the essence of her immensely talented yet turbulent subject.
Reuben Kaye is the sparklingly lip-glossed, man-diva who delights in stoking and shaking-up subversive fires smouldering within the shared souls of cabaret and drag. Pulling these two genres forward, Kaye understands that “cabaret and drag...are inextricably linked...” in that "both are reactions and commentaries on society through a queer lens.” (From Reuben Kaye produced archive)
The Handlebards' all-female production of The Tempest plonks Shakespeare back into the pit of popular culture—from whence he came. Cycling between performances, this troupe of pedalling troubadours conjures up, from just what they can carry, a magical world of pure Shakespearian invention.
Led by Artistic Director Madeleine Easton, Bach Akademie Australia’s seasonal offering was Alleluja–an Easter Celebrations. Madeleine established the Akademie in 2017 on her return to Australia after a long association with Sir John Eliot Gardiner—the world’s foremost exponent of Bach